"Eventually," said Lee Kuan Yew

source: private email from Reuters

April 24, 2007
Transcript of an interview with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew:

Q: Okay and then, homosexuality. You had a discussion with Young PAP members at the weekend. You know we study the Straits Times words for whatever they write to say about you. You seem to indicate that you wanted to decriminalise homosexuality. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs, when they viewed the Penal Code at the end of last year, they didn't say that. Do you think that in the new cosmopolitan Singapore, the government wants homosexual act between men should be legalised?

Mr Lee: I am not in charge of government policy. I am just a Minister Mentor. When my son became Prime Minister he wanted to make it quite clear to everybody that I don't decide policy. I am just a Mentor. My value is that of a mentor. So, I expressed my views, they make the decision. I just received a copy of my The Cam (?), the Cambridge University magazine. The latest Cam has one article of how homosexuality has been more or less part of Cambridge life and even part of Cambridge literature. I don't know if that is so. But I mean they produced documents, not documents, they produced books and they have photographs of the people involved. I was surprised not to see John Mayorarchis (?) photo in there. Because he is well known to be that way inclined. Maybe they didn't have enough evidence. So, they didn't want to put something which was tendentious or they couldn't prove. It shows how the Americans have pushed this, followed by the Europeans and given a lot of push to homosexuals the world over. And they say, look, let's go with the world, let's not pretend it doesn't exist. I think Muslim societies will be loath to change.

Q: Of course.

Mr Lee: I believe Buddhist and Hindu societies maybe more accommodating over a period of time… But the Minister for Home Affairs… it… He has… the pulse of the heartlands and we don't want to unnecessarily go against… the people.

Q: Of course you said mainly the policy you have basically is that we don't want to promote it as a lifestyle, you know, sometimes you ban gay events or gay films but of course…?

Mr Lee: We are not promoters of it.

Q: Exactly.

Mr Lee: And we are not going to allow Singapore to become the vanguard of South East Asia…

Q: Exactly. Exactly.

Mr Lee: We will follow the world. A few respectable steps behind.

Q: But would you consider, I mean, did we read this correctly you saying that we should decriminalise it eventually?

Mr Lee: Eventually I cannot put a finger on it. But I would say if this is the way the world is going and Singapore is part of that interconnected world and I think it is, then I see no option for Singapore but to be part of it. They tell me and anyway it is probably half-true that homosexuals are creative writers, dancers, etcetera. And there is some biblical evidence of that and if we want creative people then we got to put up with their idiosyncrasies. So, long as they don't infect the heartland.

Footnotes

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